2016 Valencia MotoGP: Lorenzo Signs Off With Victory

Valencia was the destination for the final race of the crazy 2016 season of MotoGP which witnessed nine different riders standing on the top step of the rostrum. Marc Marquez had already clinched the championship title in Motegi but there was one more title that wasn’t decided till the season finale - the constructor’s title. Honda lead arch rival Yamaha by 21 points as the riders lined up for the finale, while for Jorge Lorenzo it was his last race with Yamaha. Lorenzo made his intentions clear that he wants to bid farewell to Yamaha on a high and shattered the lap record to grab pole position while Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi lined up next to him on the front row. 

Jorge Lorenzo made a good start to safeguard his race lead while Andrea Iannone was like a runaway train as he made his way from the third row of the grid to take second place. Marquez’s Honda RC213V was pointing skywards which dropped him down to eighth place while Maverick Vinales was third and Rossi following him in fourth. The 2016 MotoGP champion made amends for his poor start with some aggressive manoeuvres that pushed him up to fifth position. The pecking order didn’t change for the following few laps in which Lorenzo had put the hammer down to etch out an over one second lead on Iannone in second place. 

Vinales was coming under great pressure from Rossi and he finally buckled as the Yamaha rider out braked him to grab third place. Marquez followed suit to shove the Suzuki rider down in fifth place. Despite Iannone’s best efforts, he wasn’t able to close the gap between himself and Lorenzo. The Yamaha rider was in his zone with a clear track in front of him and was determined to win his 250th grand prix start of his career. Rossi was slowly working his way to eat into Iannone’s lead and within a few laps was within striking distance of him. The MotoGP legend manages to take second place momentarily as Iannone utilised the brute power of the Ducati GP16 to pass him. 

Further down the grid, Dani Pedrosa who was making a comeback after his collarbone injury didn’t have a good afternoon as he crashed out of the race. Rossi tried numerable times to pass Iannone and finally was able to defend second place from his fellow countryman. Rossi managed to create some breathing space between himself and the chasing pack of riders while Lorenzo was going strong far ahead with the race lead. 

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But by the halfway stage, the doctor was struggling for grip and his rivals were close on his tail. Soon the battle for second place was now a 4-rider scuffle and the Spanish fans were entertained with some brilliant wheel-to-wheel racing. Rossi, Iannone and Marquez continuously swapped positions with none of the rider backing down. When the dust settled, it was Marquez, who was on charge to take second place while Iannone and Rossi followed him. With nine laps remaining in the race, Marquez had a healthy lead in second position and was trying to cut down Lorenzo’s massive 4.5 second race lead. Iannone also utilised the GP16’s extra grunt to take third place from Rossi, the Yamaha rider made one last attempt in the penultimate lap but he ran wide and settled for fourth. 

Lorenzo had relaxed his pace in the last lap and Marquez was closing down on him, yet he managed to cross the finish line with an over one second lead. Lorenzo was visibly jubilant to bid farewell to Yamaha on a winning note. Marquez’s second place proved vital for Repsol Honda as they took the constructors title by a narrow margin of 6 points. It was the 22nd occasion that Honda has won the crown in premier class racing, MV Agusta is second at 16 titles.  KTM had a disappointing debut as Mika Kalio had to retire owing to speed sensor issue and we hope the Austrian outfit will be quick in learning the ropes of MotoGP racing. Thus, a fascinating season of racing came to an entertaining end and we are confident that the 2017 season, which will see many riders switching seats will be more interesting. We can’t wait for Qatar! 

Valencia MotoGP Results: 

1. Jorge Lorenzo 

2. Marc Marquez 

3. Andrea Iannone 

4. Valentino Rossi 

5. Maverick Viñales 

6. Pol Espargaro 

7. Andrea Dovizioso 

8. Aleix Espargaro 

9. Bradley Smith 

10. Alvaro Bautista